Automatic toilet seat closing devices heretofore devised have incorporated rather complex structure and were difficult to clean for maintaining sanitary conditions. Further, the known structures generally either include a lifting mechanism or an automatic lowering mechanism but cannot be manipulated for selectively engaging the device for automatically lifting the toilet seat or lowering the toilet seat or automatically raising and lowering the toilet seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,200,687 discloses a toilet seat and cover which may be automatically closed under predetermined conditions after being shifted to a raised position. A pair of cushioning cylinders are employed for damping the fall of the seat and cover from a raised to a closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,866 discloses apparatus for automatically returning a hinged toilet seat to the lowered horizontal position after use of a toilet as a urinal by a male. A piston which moves in an operating cylinder is linked by a lever mechanism to the toilet seat. Movement of the seat to the upper position actuates a biasing spring to urge the piston to return the seat to the lower position. The biased piston movement is retarded by operating fluid flowing through a port in the piston to delay closing until the male user is finished.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,422 discloses a lifting mechanism for toilet seats for automatically elevating the toilet seat after a predetermined time lag after each use so that a succeeding occupant may employ the toilet as a urinal without the necessity of manually elevating the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,316,561 discloses an actuating mechanism for a toilet seat for raising the seat and providing for the automatic closure of the seat and lid after a predetermined length of time.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,219,044 discloses an electric driving motor for raising a toilet seat cover. A pedal is depressed for closing a switch to energize the motor for rotating the cover upwardly. When a load is applied to the seat of the toilet and then removed, a switch closes and a cam cylinder starts rotating to return the cover to its closed position.
A need exists for an apparatus for controlling the manipulation of a toilet seat which can be manipulated to cause the seat to be automatically lowered upon the expiration of a predetermined time after the seat has been raised manually or by an electric motor.